Engineering Research Experts (PhDs): Mechanical, Electrical, Civil

Mercor is seeking expert engineers in Mechanical, Electrical, and Civil Engineering for a premier project with one of the world's top AI labs.

In this role, you will contribute your engineering expertise to a cutting-edge project involving state-of-the-art large language models. Specifically, you will help create high-quality data that will inform the future of AI innovation by modeling how expert engineers solve complex design and analysis problems in foundational domains.

You're a good fit if you:

• Work in a core engineering discipline such as:

  • Mechanical Engineering

  • Electrical Engineering

  • Civil Engineering

  • Or a closely related subfield

• Engage in hands-on analytical or design work rather than purely managerial responsibilities

• Routinely solve intricate technical challenges such as:

  • Structural analysis for bridges or buildings

  • Electromechanical system design

  • Power electronics prototyping

  • Finite element modeling (FEM/FEA), control systems, or numerical simulations

• Perform intellectually demanding tasks, including:

  • Developing analytical or numerical models

  • Creating detailed CAD or PCB layouts

  • Running simulations (CFD, FEA, circuit, or control models)

  • Validating prototypes and interpreting test data

• Approach your work with deep reasoning, trade-off analysis, and iterative problem-solving

• Communicate clearly and with technical precision

Here are more details about the role:

• The role is ongoing, starting at the end of June/beginning of July and continuing with rolling applications

• The project involves 10–20 hours of work per week with the potential to expand up to 40 hours per week

Ideal candidates include:

• Academic Track:

  • Professors (Assistant, Associate, or Full) who are still directly involved in hands-on design or research

  • Late-stage PhD students (year 4+) in core engineering fields with substantial independent design work

  • At least one peer-reviewed publication or conference proceeding in venues like ASME, IEEE, or ACI

• Industry Track:

  • Field leads, senior/principal engineers, or senior staff engineers who guide architecture while staying technically deep

  • Evidence of significant design ownership, such as:

    • Patents

    • Released hardware products or systems

    • Standards contributions

    • Major infrastructure or engineering projects

Screening Process:

• You will need to complete a short interview and form, which will take a total of 20–30 minutes to fully apply

We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.

Contract and Payment Terms

• You will be engaged as an independent contractor.
• This is a fully remote role that can be completed on your own schedule.
• Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance.
• Your work at Mercor will not involve access to confidential or proprietary information from any employer, client, or institution.
• Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered.
• Please note: We are unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.

About Mercor

Mercor partners with leading AI labs and enterprises to train frontier models using human expertise. You will work on projects that focus on training and enhancing AI systems. You will be paid competitively, collaborate with leading researchers, and help shape the next generation of AI systems in your area of expertise.